Tein monoflex preloading or preloading in general
 

I had this coilover for couple years now and I haven't use the car much. The coilover have close to 13,000 miles. My question is when I first got the coilover the 1st owner had it set up correctly to where the ride was smooth. Only a little stiffer than stock and not bumpy. Couple years ago I drop the car down low and ended up adjusting the spring preload instead of the ride height on the tube. This made the ride a little more bumpy. Fast forward the other day I decide to set the preload to loosen up. I didn't changes the front much but I did change the back. My setting was full tight on the spring compression to where the spring helper was crunch in. I decided to loosen it up and have it a couple of turn in only. I did drop the car a little more and when I went to test drive the car. It was bouncing to where I can break my own neck. Full stiff will throw me around and full soft seems a okay but still bouncing. I contract tein and they send me a instructions on how to set and install them but it's in Japanese and I don't understand it so no help. If any of you guys have the monoflex with the rest helper can you post up some of your set up. This is just a street car.

I know ever set up is different but I just want to know the preload on these. I done research and found old post from back in the day that didn't seem to answer my question so this is my only reason for posting.

Contact Tein. Ask them what the preloaded spring length needs to be. Or just check the measurement in the manual. Numbers are just expressed as Arabic numerals, regardless of the language of the manual. It'll probably be in millimeters.

REMOVE the coilovers from the car. Set the spring length/preload. Tighten the spring perch down. Forget it exists...don't adjust or touch it again.

Reinstall them and only adjust height via the bottom bracket, moving forward.

This method works until you lower the car too much and run out of droop. But that only applies to track use...and you can cross that bridge when you come to it.

Thanks. This was exactly what I was thinking of doing. Remove them and set the spring height. I didn't think of adjusting from the bottom bracket but I'll do this. I know when I call tein and ask them. All they sent me was a pdf file of language I didn't understand. I'll call them again and try to get the spring measurement.

No problem. Just so I'm sure, can you post a pic of your coilivers? The way I remember monoflexes is with a full body adjustment. In which case, the static preload of the spring should never need to change for street use.

I'll post a picture later when I take them off the car. Yeah its a full body adjustment. That why when you mention adjusting the height by the lower bracket. It click in my head that when I adjust the height by the tube. It changes the spring preload.

I just went through this exact situation with the new tein monosports. I ended up taking off the helper spring and the ride is 100 x's better. I went though hell trying to figure out what was wrong with the coils and I just took off the helper springs on Monday and set preload to 1/2 a turn past tight on the springs. No more crazy bounce on the dips on the highway like before.

I was thinking about taking my helper spring out too. Do you know if taking it out will loose spring rate?

Mine says sports specs monoflex on it too. But from what I know it was the 10k F/R spring rate from the previous owner. Whats your damoer setting click at?

Removing helper springs will limit your droop quite a bit.

It doesn't do anything for spring rates. A helper spring in this case is not for secondary spring rate. Its there to extend the shock fully. When the car is on the ground, the helper is just a solid disc.

It won't change the spring rate but for some reason when i lowered the car down with the helper spring it would completly compress and also compress the spring effectivley preloading the suspension a ton. I may be an idiot and had it setup wrong but it works fine without the helper spring and its easy to set the preload with just the normal spring on there. I have mine set right in the middle at 8f/r. My springs are 12k/10k and ride height is about a finger gap.

The helper spring is meant to be compressed fully when the car is down. It probably has a 50LB/in or lower rate. Its completely inactive and considered solid once the car's weight is on the suspension. Tein has preset amount of preload based on total spring length, which INCLUDES the helper spring dimensions.

I'm sure yours rides fine. But there are advantages to leaving the helpers in there.